Even worse, forensic examination of DNA often doesn't actually examine your entire genome, it only picks out a few key sites that are likely (but not certain) to vary from individual to individual. Doesn't even have to be a relative. So you could get pinned with a crime you never committed because your sister wanted to find out if the was really 1/53rd Cherokee.
For example, in a case in England the police got a match on their database which turned out to be a severely disabled guy who could not have committed the crime.
How do they even go about searching? Free rain matching as many possible ties in the database? I wonder how many more innocent person's "discarded DNA" was matched against before they came to their conclusion of him being the suspect. It wouldn't surprise me if they kept the matches to the innocent ones as well. Like for instance. This John Does "discarded DNA" didn't match the suspect but it's John Does just in case we ever need to know.
[–] Broc_Lia 0 points 4 points 4 points (+4|-0) ago
Well that's creepy.
Even worse, forensic examination of DNA often doesn't actually examine your entire genome, it only picks out a few key sites that are likely (but not certain) to vary from individual to individual. Doesn't even have to be a relative. So you could get pinned with a crime you never committed because your sister wanted to find out if the was really 1/53rd Cherokee.
For example, in a case in England the police got a match on their database which turned out to be a severely disabled guy who could not have committed the crime.
https://archive.fo/yldVC
[–] commonsenseisded [S] 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
How do they even go about searching? Free rain matching as many possible ties in the database? I wonder how many more innocent person's "discarded DNA" was matched against before they came to their conclusion of him being the suspect. It wouldn't surprise me if they kept the matches to the innocent ones as well. Like for instance. This John Does "discarded DNA" didn't match the suspect but it's John Does just in case we ever need to know.